Moving with your cat

A stack of cardboard

Your move is on the horizon, and a few boxes are already piling up here and there? Your cat is probably already looking at them, wondering what those big boxes are going to be used for. For cats, who are very attached to their territory, a move is always complicated. Let's see how to prepare your pet's move, and what is known about CBD and stress in animals.

Changing territory is quite a story

Every move is an adventure and an upheaval for us and our cats. First of all, there are the preparations, all those little things that no longer have a reason to be here, and disappear at the bottom of the boxes. Photo frames, little trinkets, a lamp, a cushion, everything the cat knew from his landscape disappears little by little. For a territorial animal like the cat, this is not nothing, a little stress settles in slowly but surely. And things do not necessarily get better once you have settled in your new home; on the contrary, the cat's anxiety will grow in front of this new unknown territory, these new noises, these new smells, and this new layout of your furniture. Everything is changed, nothing is the same as before. And your cat may have his own way of making you understand it (in spite of himself, by the way), scratching, urinary marking, uncleanliness, refusal to eat, weight loss, irritability, etc.

Preparing for the move

Before the big departure

• 1) Using the floor plan of the new home, see how to arrange the spaces reserved for the cat, such as the litter box, cat tree, bowls, etc.
• 2) Make sure to pack your cat's favorite furniture and belongings last, this will reduce stress.

During the move

• 1) If you can, isolate your cat in a room that has already been emptied, and offer him his bowl, his litter box, and his favorite toys so that he can escape all the comings and goings while you empty the other rooms.
• 2) Once the apartment is empty, place your pet in its transport cage, proceed as you are used to when you travel with it.

In your new home

• 1) When you arrive in your new home, if you haven't been able to set everything up beforehand, proceed in the same way: place the cat in a small room, empty or not, with its belongings in order to reduce its stress.
• 2) During the first few days, it may be interesting to limit your pet's movements to one or two rooms so as not to increase its anxiety. Then, when your pet is well established, open all the rooms to him.
• 3) If you have a garden or a terrace, wait a little while until your cat has taken possession of his new home before letting him out. He could make a bad encounter (dogs or cats), run away and get lost. So accompany him when the time comes, and let him discover your outdoors.

If everything does not go as planned

A few days or weeks have passed, and despite all your efforts your cat is having trouble adapting to his new space? Redouble your efforts, be present for your cat, continue to play with him and cuddle him. If his stress persists, ask your veterinarian for advice, who may refer you to a behaviourist. Never give your cat a CBD product without the advice of your veterinarian.

CBD and stress in cats

CBD, whose full name is cannabidiol, is a molecule obtained from industrial hemp (Cannabis Sativa). It is little known, but cannabis is a family of plants with very different properties:

• Cannabis Sativa (industrial hemp) rich in CBD, very very low in THC (less than 0.3% according to the law).
• Cannabis Indica, poor in CBD, and very rich in THC
• Cannabis Ruderalis, low in CBD and THC

THC is a psychotropic molecule, which is banned in most countries. CBD does not have this intoxicating effect, but no CBD product sold to the public is a veterinary medicine, and research on stress in cats is almost non-existent. Here is what some studies, mostly on rodents or humans, have explored:

• Two publications from 2012 (CAMPOS et al, ELBATSH et al.) reported effects of CBD on anxiety-related behaviour, mainly in rodents.
• In 2011, a study (Bergamaschi et al.) on 24 people with social anxiety disorder reported a possible anxiolytic effect of CBD.

These results cannot be transposed to cats and do not allow any conclusion. For a stressed cat, your veterinarian remains the right person to ask.